- Sixth June certainly wear their influences proudly. Their Pleasure EP plays like a who's who of new wave. "Drowning," perhaps the most fully realised track, couples a Gary Numan-esque synth melody and bassline with a dry tom-led beat. There's more than a hint of Violator-era Depeche Mode in the swampy, melancholy "Kill Me," and the title track pairs Chris & Cosey-inspired grit with Lidija Andonov's aloof singing. Her voice isn't particularly refined, but double-tracked and reverbed it suits Pleasure's '80s style well.
The problem with Pleasure is not its throwback quality—plenty of current music, from Tropic Of Cancer to Dva Damas, unashamedly borrows from similar styles—but its lack of creative spark. After 20 minutes you've heard nothing that doesn't remind you of some other, better record, and you're still no wiser as to what makes Sixth June tick. The electronic haze subsumes any individualising characteristics (such as Andonov's Serbian accent). The exception is the minute-long closer "Enoemos," a half-length interpretation of "Someone" sung backwards in a half-strangled cry. Still, Sixth June have an obvious knack for writing and producing synth pop songs. Perhaps their next record will see them step out of the '80s shadow and create something inspired by, rather than beholden to, their influences.
TracklistA1 Pleasure
A2 Someone
B1 Drowning
B2 Kill Me
B3 Enoemos